This review has been a LONG time coming, hasn't it? We've had some things happen in the past few weeks, including some personal issues with DEE and some internet issues with dee, that prevented us from being able to post. Please keep Dee and her family in Kansas in your thoughts and prayers. And hopefully I can control my iTunes spending and not get banned from upORdownloading for days on end anymore. Yes, iTunes was partially responsible for me not being able to post this Dish sooner.
I know we promised you a DoubleDish, but you guys are stuck with me. Sorry! Maybe after things have worked themselves out in Kansas, Dee will add her seven cents to this Dish and it will be complete. We are hoping that Kristan Higgins, the FABulous author, hasn't totally given up on us, and will stop by sometime this week. We've got an interview with Kristan, and at least one contest for a signed copy of CATCH OF THE DAY to give you guys this week.
Without further ado, I give you the long awaited Dish of the newest release by Krsitan Higgins, CATCH OF THE DAY...
From the BCC:
Sparks will fly, but this catch of the day could be the dish of a lifetime!
First Date a la Maggie
Take one lovelorn diner owner (me)
A generous helping of nosy local gossips
A dollop of envy at married sister's perfect life
A splash of divine intervention (my matchmaking priest)
Combine ingredients and add one strong-but-silent lobsterman with a hidden heart of gold.
You guys already know what I'm going to say, don't you? This isn't my favorite BCC, mainly because it seems kinda light and fluffy, and not really in keeping with some of the deeper stuff in the book. But, OTOH, it does sound exactly like something that Maggie would have written, had she written out a recipe for a first date. Maggie loves to laugh, even if she's laughing at herself, so this might very well be the perfect BCC if you're assuming it's written by Maggie. The BCC is balanced by the Front Cover, and I gotta tell you - I just LOVE that puppy! You can read more about the dogs here. So, overall, both covers, including the BCC, get a solid B+.
Falling in love with a Catholic priest was not my smartest move.
Maggie goes on to explain about how she fell in love with Father Tim, including this little snippet that Kristan could have stolen straight from my diary...
And he’s from Ireland, the icing on the cake, because ever since I was sixteen years old and first saw U2 in concert, I’ve had a thing for Irish guys. Yeah, seriously, that is SO me!
Maggie is in love with her priest, and the whole town knows it, and loves to tease her about it. Maggie can laugh at herself, remember? So she laughs about it as well. She laughs about all of her dating foibles, actually. And there are quite a few that cause laughs.
In an attempt to find a more suitable man than her priest, Maggie goes on a variety of arranged dates. From the man at the bowling alley to the much more mature gentleman, and a few in between, Maggie learns that finding a mate as perfect for her as her twin sister's husband is for her twin is not an easy feat.
Along the way, Maggie gets to know Malone, a strong, silent lobsterman. Malone is nothing like the man that Maggie pictured for herself. He's quiet, seems secretive, and refuses to eat anything she cooks. As the owner of a diner, not wanting to eat her food bothers Maggie as much as anything else. She constantly questions her budding relationship with Malone, to herself, her sassy older neighbor, her twin, and even her beloved dog, Colonel.
With Malone, Kristan has written a man that had me intrigued from the first mention. He doesn't waste words, he keeps to himself, he has a past. Beyond that, he's sensitive to Maggie and others in the town without being obvious about it. He rescues Maggie physically from a bicycle wreck, socially from a botched blind date, and emotionally when tragedy strikes. Yet he refuses to be one of her projects.
Going through Maggie's dating woes, as well as the hilarious situations that she finds herself in, had me hooked for over a month. (Remember, this was the book I chose for my Book Diet, so I read it almost 40 times.) Maggie deals with slight envy of her twin sister, a mother that truly tests the term 'motherly love', an infatuation with a very forbidden man, a personal crisis, a wacky group of locals bent of laughing at her every mis-step, and her own twisted version of "50 First Dates". Every relationship is written true to life, every situation, no matter how crazy it initially seems, feels authentic. I sympathized with Maggie, laughed with her, laughed at her, hoped for her, felt for her. Even when she made unfounded assumptions or drew off-the-wall conclusions, I knew exactly why. Basically, Kristan wrote a character that I connected with, cheered for, and even loved. And it only had a tiny little bit to do with her name. ;)
This books gets a BIG THUMBS UP from me. It's an enchanting read that will have you laughing, crying, and cheering for the characters. Written in First POV, CATCH OF THE DAY is a wonderful find. Pick it up at your local bookstore, grocer, super-mart, or online here. It's one CATCH you don't want to miss.
Be sure to check back later this week for an interview from Kristan. Oh yeah - and THE CONTEST...
CONTEST RULES:
POST the cover and the BCC on your own blog. Remember to link to THIS post.
Tell me, on YOUR blog, about your craziest crush. It can be on a rock star (like Bono!), your dad's best friend, your boss, or your priest. Just share those stories.
If you don't have a blog, just post your stories here, in the comments to THIS post.
One lucky winner will get signed copies of BOTH of Kristan's books, CATCH OF THE DAY and FOOLS RUSH IN.
Good luck!
Keep Turning Those Pages!
10 comments:
First to comment!
You are bringing the bad girl in me... I had when I was 18 a crush -which was shred by about 100 girls in class - on my psychology teacher... super hunky 28 year old teacher... it is clear that it was my favorite course :)
No readers' blog to link to so.. My crush story...
In college I was in ROTC and I had a crush on one of the seniors in the unit. Unfortunately he had a steady girlfriend. Worse of it his friend had a crush on my girlfriend. Sad.. so we would get invited to parties at their apartment. Still wonder if he is still in the military and if he married his girlfriend.
I had a severe crush on a boy in high school. We went out for more than year and attended prom together. I thought that we would end up together as we were compatible. Right after prom he dumped me forever. You think that I would have learned my lesson but being naive and innocent in my twenties the same thing happened again. Guess my judgment is faulty.
I had a similar's crush to the one Lily has mentionned.
I was doing a summer internship in fundamental research, I was also 18 and my superior - a doctor doing a masters - was super nice, a great teacher and I am not mentionning handsome ;) so I was having very sweet dreams during this summer!
I have a crush on a singer who is a dreamboat. I cannot help myself and there is no cure for this except to listen to his music all day long. What a voice and looks to match. Patrizio Buanne is special and unique.
Oh Lily and Nathalie, I feel your pain. I, too, had a crush on a teacher...when I was in 4th grade. Mr. Mitchell wore his jeans just a tad too tight, and it had all of us lusting in our lil 9 year old hearts. truth be told, there were quite a few moms that were lusting as well.
Ann M. - when I was in the military, I had a HUGE crush on my first boss. I was 18 at the time. He was just so cute, especially in his uniform!
Ruth - That is just so sad! What a jerk, and you're MUCH better off without him.
And anne - I hear you on the singer. I googled your man and OHMYBOB, he is a cutie! And that voice! Oh my! For me, it's always the Brits or Irish men, like Bono, or Sting, that just make me ga-ga, but I might have to add Patrizio to my list. What a voice!
I want more entries! Tell me your secret crushes. And I'll add 5 extra entries for every person that puts up a blog with the cover pic and BCC for this book!
Good luck!
dee
I am definitely attracted to mature actors and always have preferred their looks and character over younger ones. I do have a thing for Donald Sutherland. Years ago I was enthralled with his acting, charisma and looks and I still feel that way.
My crush went very deep. I drove by this young man's house, made sure to see him at school, invited him over for meals and them we started to date. We are now engaged.
Huh, I guess teachers are pretty common crush subject. I had one too.
Oh, forgot to say that I posted on my blog about it, and the book.
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